A day after San Jose's plastic bag ban took effect, an impressive number of shoppers were apparently repeating that mantra in their heads Monday.

Is it because San Joseans are uber-environmentalists? Super frugal? Or a bit of both?

Whatever the reason, an unscientific survey of everything from grocery stores to beauty salons revealed that plenty of customers remembered to bring their own bags before heading out to shop.

It's the law: As of Jan. 1, San Jose retailers -- except for restaurants and nonprofits -- can no longer hand out single-use plastic bags. Shoppers who don't remember to bring reusable bags can buy paper bags for 10 cents each.

"I think it's good," said Priscilla Micheletti, 53, who happily accepted a free reusable bag that the Safeway store on West San Carlos Street was handing out to customers who spent more than $20 through Tuesday. "I'll do my part."

"Nobody likes to get charged," said San Jose fire Capt. Ed D'ziuba, whose firetruck was parked outside the same Safeway. His crew from Station No. 30 was shopping for supper, using five reusable black bags the city had handed out for free in preparation for the new law.

Other large chains, like Lucky and Save Mart, were giving away hundreds for free until they run out.

But a few tales of unrest were circulating at some shopping centers.

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"One guy said he didn't care about the environment and was going to sue us because he wanted those plastic bags," said a Safeway employee who asked not to be named. "He said he was going to come back and protest."

And Tony Lucia, general manager at Lunardi's, with two San Jose locations, acknowledged, "There are some people who are not happy at all."

Unlike the growing collection of plastic bag bans in other cities, where bans only apply to certain stores, San Jose's ban covers all of the city's nearly 5,050 retailers.

"Protective" plastic or paper bags, without handles, for items such as meat, fresh produce, prescription medication or merchandise that could contaminate other food or goods are allowed, however.

Environmentalists, who say plastic bags clog waterways and kill wildlife, believe San Jose is the largest city in the U.S. to have such a ban.

To be sure, shoppers can visit neighboring cities like Cupertino that don't have a ban (and where the Target store on Coleman Avenue shipped its plastic bags.) Or, they can walk out of the store carrying mouthwash and jugs of milk in their bare hands, as some customers were spotted doing on Monday.

Teresa Pleins of Santa Clara decided to plunk down the money for paper bags while shopping at Lunardi's on Monday for her seven children. The $1.20 she spent on paper bags was well spent, she said, because she uses them for garbage bags.

And of course, with prohibition, comes ingenuity. Several companies are hawking a variety of eye-catching reusable bags.

At Sally Beauty Supply on Coleman Avenue, a sign above the black-and-red, 99-cent canvas bags read: "Helping the environment one trendy tote at a time."

San Jose businessman Mike Aguilera is charging local businesses at least $375 to buy advertising space on a green mesh bag, which he then distributes for free. He's already taken an order for 2,500 bags from residents at The Villages, a retirement community in San Jose. He plans to expand to other areas.

But as more shoppers get on board with the ban, the looming challenge remains: How do you remember to bring those bags along with you?

"I keep them by my front door," said Mary Lofranco, 74, a Safeway shopper, who started using reusable bags years before the ban.

"I have four small nylon bags that I just keep folded in my purse," said Summer Thornton, 30, who brought her bags into Marshall's on Monday.

"Somebody told me to keep the bags in the slot on your door in your car," said Michelle Machado, 34, who bought a pretty green-and-blue bag at World Market for 49 cents on Monday.

Yet, it's still a matter of making the mantra -- "Must. Bring. Bag." -- become habit.

Rabia Kabeer, 29, had three reusable bags in her trunk but forgot to bring them inside any of the stores at a strip mall.

"I just don't know how I'm going to remind myself," she said. "I think I'm pretty much going to be running back to my car all the time."